Goals for Blood Sugar Control
People who have diabetes should be testing their blood sugars regularly at home Regular blood sugar testing helps you determine how well your diabetes management program of meal planning exercising and medication (if necessary) is doing to keep your blood sugars as close to normal as possible The results of the nationwide Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) show that the closer you keep your blood sugars to normal the more likely you are to prevent diabetes complications such as eye disease nerve damage and other problems For some people other medical conditions age or other issues may cause your physician to establish somewhat higher blood sugar targets for you.
The following chart outlines the usual blood sugar ranges for a person who does not have diabetes Use this as a guide to work with your physician and your health care team to determine what your target goals should be and to develop a program of regular blood sugar monitoring to manage your condition.
Goal
Diabetic Blood Sugar Ranges
- Before breakfast: 60-110 mg/dL
- Before lunch, supper and bedtime snack: 60-120 mg/dL
- One hour after meals: Less than or equal to 140 mg/dL
- Two hours after meals: Less than or equal to 120 mg/dL
- 2:00 am – 4:00 am: greater than or equal to 70 mg/dL
- Glycosylated Hemoglobin (Hemoglobin A1c): 4.0-6.0 %
Conversion
- To convert the result of blood sugar from mg/dL to mmol/L: devide on 18
- To convert the result of blood sugar from mmol/L to mg/dL: multiply by 18